Flag Day always special in Norwalk

NORWALK — Sunday marked the 104th anniversary of Flag Day across the United States. The City of Norwalk always holds a special place in marking the yearly holiday. The world's largest masted American flag flies each year at the VFW at 140 Milan Ave. in the city. The huge flag, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, measures 52 feet by 87 feet and weighs 125 pounds. It flies on a 157-foot pole. Each of the stripes is four feet tall, and the stars are four feet square. The current version of the flag, which has been visible and flying for the last couple weeks at the VFW, was made by employees of Norwalk Furniture. It took 104 hours and several miles of thread to create the flag. The original large flag at the VFW was part of the American bicentennial celebrations in 1976. It was 46 by 70 feet in size and weighed 120 pounds. Here are five quick facts on the American flag, and the day itself: 1. The origins of the American flag can be traced back to a couple months after the start of the Revolutionary War. In June of 1775, the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia and created the Continental Army. This led to the creation of what was the first American flag, representing the Continental colors. 2. Two years later, on June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution that stated the flag of the United States have 13 alternating red and white stripes and the union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, which was to represent a "new constellation." 3. A small-town Wisconsin teacher named Bernard Cigrand originated the idea for the original flag day in 1885. That year, Cigrand led his school in the first formal observance of the holiday. 4. In 1916, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson marked the anniversary of the resolution and officially established June 14 as Flag Day. 5. Legislation by Congress designating June 14 as the national Flag Day was signed into law by President Harry Truman on Aug. 3, 1949. The same legislation requires the president to issue a Flag Day and national Flag Week (June 14-20) proclamation each year. Current U.S. President Donald Trump issued this year's proclamation on Friday.